4th of July Cupcakes with Built-In Ice Cream Cones

4th of July cupcakes need red, white, and blue. But, 4th of July cupcakes (at least in St. Louis) are typically served on a HOT day and will need to compete with anything cold. So this year, my 4th of July cupcakes have a built in ice cream cone with bright red strawberry sorbet! The white comes from the frosting (I could have made the cake white, but went for yellow - close enough) and the blue comes from the sprinkles (I could have also used blueberries if I had some on hand).

These 4th of July cupcakes are designed to get you thinking rather than to provide you with any specific recipe. The key is the mini waffle cone deeply planted into the cupcake (do this right before serving to keep the cone from getting soggy), but what you use for the cake, frosting, and ice cream flavor is up to you!

Here are some other 4th of July ideas, using the mini cone, to get you thinking:

• Blueberry cupcakes, vanilla buttercream frosting, and cherry ice cream.
• Raspberry cupcakes, blueberry frosting, and vanilla ice cream.
• Lemon cupcakes, blackberry frosting (blackberries look blue), and coconut sorbet.

Feel free to share your original ideas in the comments!

Yellow Cake Recipe

For the curious, I'm including the yellow cake recipe that I used. I got the recipe from my Twitter friend Cakes4RockStarz. Despite the thousands of cupcakes I have made, I very rarely make a plain yellow cake and wanted to find a really good recipe. Several Twitter friends helped out by offering their favorites. I have not had a chance to try them all yet, but this one was light, moist, and flavorful. I won't go so far as to say it's the perfect yellow cake - it was missing something, though it's hard to put my very picky finger on what. So, I'm still on the hunt.

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 t vanilla bean paste (you could also use vanilla extract or the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean)
• 2 C flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 T apple cider vinegar

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another bowl, mix water and apple cider vinegar.
5. Mix in dry and wet ingredients alternatively to the butter/sugar mixture, ending with the dry.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.

Root Beer Whipped Cream Frosting

I wasn't in the mood for a plain vanilla frosting. This recipe makes a root beer whipped cream frosting, but you can replace the root beer extract with any flavor you prefer.

• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 t root beer extract

1. Whip the whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar and extract.

Other 4th of July Cupcake Ideas

Check out my other 4th of July cupcake ideas.

Strawberry Sorbet That You Can't Screw Up

Strawberry sorbet is a cool, tangy splash that refreshes and energizes you as it hits your palate. Strawberry sorbet is not quite a miracle drug, but strawberry sorbet is miraculously easy to make and (especially when served in a homemade petite waffle cone) it is sure to brighten your world.



Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

I got the strawberry sorbet recipe by modifying a plum sorbet recipe from Garret at Simply Recipes. There are tons of appetizing sorbet recipes at Simply Recipes that are worth checking out. Aside from the switch to strawberries, I also changed the recipe to be only two steps - you can't screw it up!

Made about 1/2 quart of sorbet.

• 2 1/2 C of strawberries (If at all possible, I highly recommend getting your strawberries at a farmers' market . The tiny ones that you find at farmers' markets tend to be packed with much more flavor than the huge perfect looking ones that you find at most US grocery stores. I recommend buying lots of strawberries while they are in season and freezing them; frozen strawberries work just as well as fresh ones for this recipe. Don't worry about being exact with your measurement. I just put the strawberries into a measuring cup. I pressed down a little bit, but didn't pack them.)
  
• 1/4 C + 2 T of sugar
• 1 t lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 1 T Grand Marnier, optional (This keeps the sorbet from getting too icy.)
  

1. Throw all of the ingredients in a blender and liquefy them.
2. Put the mixture in your ice cream maker and follow the instructions of your model.

BTW - I used the sorbet cones in 4th of July cupcakes!

Waffle Cone Recipe

I've been wanting to try out a waffle cone recipe for quite a while. The only problem was that I couldn't make a waffle cone recipe without a waffle cone maker. Lucky for me - Chef's Choice sent me a Petite Cone Express waffle cone maker to try out!


Rather than making one big cone, it makes three little ones. You know that I like things mini, so this waffle cone maker was perfect for me!

The waffle cone recipe that comes with the maker tells you to use the Chef's Choice waffle cone mix, but since I am a from-scratch kinda gal, I decided to go a different route.

I used a waffle cone recipe by Gale Gand that I found on the Food Network. In the comments on that recipe, some readers complained that the dough was too cookie-like. But, if you think about it, a good waffle cone is essentially a crisp sugar cookie. I found that Gale's recipe was ideal for making fresh, crunchy, sweet waffle cones. The recipe contains cinnamon and nutmeg, which gives the cones a slightly different flavor than the ones you get in your local ice cream shop. I liked the spices, but if you don't, you can always leave them out.

I've reprinted the waffle cone recipe below, along with step-by-step instructions for making the cones in the Chef's Choice PetiteCone Express (obviously, the recipe would work in any waffle cone maker). I didn't count how many waffle cones it made, but you can look at the pictures at the top and bottom of this post to get an idea. It made a lot!

• 1 C heavy cream
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 T cornstarch

In a bowl with a whisk, whip the cream with the vanilla until mousse-like (it won't form peaks).

Sift the remaining ingredients together and stir them into the cream to make a batter.

Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Heat up the waffle cone iron. I used heat setting 2.5.


You'll know that it is ready to go because the light turns green.

Grease the top and bottom of the waffle iron. I used a non-stick spray.

Put a dollop of batter onto each of the three waffle molds. The waffle maker comes with a spoon to scoop the batter with so you know exactly how much batter to use. If you use too much, the three waffles will stick together. If you use too little, the waffles will be hard to roll. Tip: The first time that you do it, I would highly recommend doing only one at a time. That way, you can make sure that you've got the technique down without wasting any batter.

Close the lid.

The light will turn red. When it turns green again, it's time to roll your waffle.

The waffle maker comes with a cone shaped mold to roll the waffle around. Here are a couple of rolling tips:

1. Work fast. The waffles harden super quickly.
2. Protect your hands. The waffle will be really hot and you could burn yourself. You might want to use a towel or wear gloves to help you roll.
   
3. As soon as the cone begins to overlap itself, press down firmly as you continue to roll to make it stick closed. It also helps to hold the waffle in the position shown in step four for a few seconds.
   
4. Use your fingers to pinch together the hole at the bottom of the cone.
5. If you are making three waffles at once, take them off the iron one at a time. Don't take a waffle off of the iron until you are ready to mold it, otherwise the third waffle will be too hard to shape by the time you get to it.
   

Store the cooled waffle cones in a Ziploc bag until you are ready to fill them with ice cream or whatever else your mind dreams up. Mine are going in 4th of July cupcakes.

Winners!!

The soon to be proud owner of three bars of Amano chocolate is:

Cupcake Activist!

The person who will soon make some kids very happy with Crazy for Cupcakes by Action Toys is:

Revolvingaura!

Congrats to you both!!

[Details on these products and the original contest rules.]

Polenta Cupcakes Morphed Into Corn Muffins - A Story with a Moral

Polenta cupcakes seemed like a good idea. My Taste & Create partner this month, My Kitchen Treasures, had a recipe for a date, ricotta, and polenta cake that sounded like it would be a winner in cupcake form. I decided that I would give it a try using mangoes instead of dates.

First, I made some polenta.

And there - right there in the very first step - is where I went wrong.

You see, when the recipe called for polenta, it was referring to uncooked polenta (essentially corn meal), not the cooked, fluffy stuff that I posted about last week - oops!

Fact: Almost all cupcake recipes take about 20 minutes to bake.
Fact: My polenta cupcakes were still raw on the inside at 45 minutes in the oven. Cooked polenta = too much moisture.

But Then, The Miracle Happened

After one hour in the oven, I had basically given up on my poor polenta cupcakes and was about to throw them all in the trash when Jonathan tried one and noted that it tasted like a corn muffin. I had a bite and had to agree. They were sweeter than a typical corn muffin and moist rather than crumbly, but if I thought of them as corn muffins, not cupcakes, they were rather tasty. Rather than trashing them or frosting them, I left them naked, called them corn muffins, and served them with the main course to our dinner guests.

The Verdict: Our guests loved them! They even went back for seconds.

When I told our friends the story and asked whether the recipe was good enough to post on the blog, they said, "Definitely."

The Moral of the Story

Don't give up just because something doesn't go the way you had planned; you might just discover something new and exciting!

The "Corn Muffin" Recipe


As I said above, this recipe is a modification of the date, ricotta, and polenta cake from My Kitchen Treasures. I encourage you to check out the recipe in its original form and give that a try as well.

Makes about 15 muffins

For The Muffins

• 2 C flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 2/3 C cooked polenta
• 1 C sugar
• 1 1/4 C ricotta cheese
• 1/2 C butter, room temperature
• 3/4 C water
• 1 C finely chopped mango

For The Filling

• 1 C ricotta cheese
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 T powdered sugar

1. Combine flour, baking powder, polenta, sugar, cheese, butter and the water in large bowl, and beat on low speed with a electric mixer until combined.
2. Fold in mango.
3. Fill cupcake liners half full with batter.
4. In a small bowl, mix all filling ingredients.
5. Spread a thin layer of filling over each filled muffin.
6. Top off each muffin with remaining batter until they are all 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 375 F for about one hour.
   

About the Plates

The plates you see in these photos were a gift from Marx Foods. They are disposable palm leaf plates.

According to the info on Marx's website:

These environmentally friendly small hexagonal palm plates are made from a natural, renewable, and biodegradable raw material. Naturally discarded sheaths of the leaves of the Adaka palm tree, which in the course of its biological life cycle, dry, fall and regenerate, are collected. No trees are cut down. The palm sheaths are then cleaned in fresh spring water and molded into bowls.

Palm leaf plates are leak proof and able to withstand hot and cold temperatures without getting soggy or flimsy. They are smaller than our full sized Hexagonal Palm Leaf Plates and thus perfect for salads and side dishes.

Even though these are disposable plates, each durable piece is unique with an attractive wood pattern finish that fits into both rustic and elegant events.

I was very impressed with the quality of the plates. They were super thick! Also, aside from the fact that they are environmentally friendly, they are gorgeous - perhaps even too gorgeous to throw out. The good news is that we didn't have to throw them out!

Even though the palm plates were billed as disposable, there is no reason that you have to trash them after one use. We used them for the muffins and for some greasy pizza and we were still able to rinse them off, let them dry, and use them again. I think we should be able to get many more uses out of them before having to pitch them. We did, however, give up one of our plates because a friend wanted to feed it to her compost worms and see how they liked it. I haven't heard the report on how that went yet.

The plates are available for sale on the Marx Foods website.

How to Cook Polenta

How to Cook Polenta To find out how to cook polenta, I headed to Eating Out Loud. I needed to find out how to cook polenta because my next cupcake has polenta as an ingredient. Since I was making polenta anyway, we decided to have it for dinner. Polenta is a cheap and easy way to have a dinner that looks incredibly gourmet. For the best effect, be sure to call your polenta dinner "polenta with ragout and pan seared beef" rather than "cornmeal with tomato sauce and hamburger meat." Polenta Recipe Cooking polenta is really easy, and the best part (depending on how you look at it) is that you can cook polenta instead of taking a trip to the gym. It involves stirring a very heavy cornmeal mush for about thirty minutes - an incredible arm workout! First, you'll need to buy some uncooked polenta. Polenta is essentially cornmeal, and any old cornmeal would work just fine. However, according to a helpful discussion thread on Chowhound, polenta has more of a standardized grain size. I purchased my uncooked polenta from the bulk bin at Whole Foods. Bob's Red Mill also sells it. Below you'll find the polenta cooking technique as found on Eating Out Loud, along with my notes.

• 6 C water
• 1 t salt
• 2 C uncooked polenta (any cornmeal will work)
• 3 T unsalted butter

1. Heat water with salt over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in polenta and reduce to a simmer. It’s important at this point to keep the mixture moving using a strong wooden spoon.
3. Stir for about 30 minutes — the mixture will thicken immediately, but the consistency and thickness will continue to develop during the 30 minutes. It’s important to keep stirring, don’t give up. (I wanted to give up. I wanted so much to give up. I ended up having my husband help out. He's made polenta before and never stirred for thirty minutes. He didn't see the point until it was all done and the consistency was perfect! If you prefer more of a soft polenta, then I give you the OK to quit.)
4. After 30 minutes, stir in butter until blended.
5. Pour the polenta into a greased baking dish and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. The polenta will become firm and can be sliced at this point.
6. The polenta can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

Coming Up Next Coming up next, I've got a post about polenta cupcakes that somehow morphed into awesome moist corn muffins.

Toys for Your Kids and Toys for Your Taste Buds - A Giveaway

Our definition of toy changes as we grow. My favorite toy when I was a kid was my stuffed animal whom I creatively named "Teddy" (as it turns out, he was a monkey, not a bear). Today, my favorite toy is my Kitchen-Aid mixer (no, I'm not giving one of those away).

Toys for Your Kids

Many months ago, I was contacted by Action Toys about reviewing their new cupcake toy, Crazy for Cupcakes. Since my baby is still in the womb (his favorite toy is the umbilical cord), I thought that I would recruit some product tester kids. Sadly, the coordination effort on that task ended up being far more work than I anticipated. So instead, I'm offering the toy to you for your kid to try.

This photo supplied by Action Toys. All other photos in this post are by J. Pollack Photography.

Each "cupcake" in this toy contains four parts - a cup, cake, frosting, and a topper. Your child can mix and match to create his/her own cupcake masterpieces. Some of the parts are also scented. I tried really hard to smell them through the plastic, but the smell does not come through. If you win, you'll have to let me know what you think.

Toys for Your Taste Buds

You will most likely not want to share with your child the second toy I'm giving away .

Sure, your kids like chocolate. I, for one, have plans to raise a chocolate snob who will prefer single-origin bean-to-bar chocolate over the cheap stuff. But if you have to share with your children, try to keep your little ones from eating a whole bar in a single sitting - you're going to want this chocolate to last.

Amano, one of my favorite chocolate companies (see the interview with owner Art Pollard on my now defunct blog, Food Interviews), has recently come out with three new chocolate bars. I had the luxury of trying free samples of all of them and wanted to pass on that joy to one of my readers.

Two of the three new bars are Amano's first milk chocolate bars. I've grown to prefer dark chocolate and the milk chocolate seemed too sweet to me. I certainly wouldn't turn them down, though! They were really good for milk chocolate. I liked the Ocumare a bit better than the Jembrana - it had more complex flavors. If you love milk chocolate, though, you may love them both.

The Montanya bar. Ah, the Montanya bar. Wait - don't stop my day dreaming. This bar was heavenly. It was so full of smoky, spicy bursts of flavor that after I ate a small square, I didn't want to eat anything else for an hour so that the last little bit of flavor could linger in my mouth. To say I loved this bar would be an understatement. If you don't win it, you should buy it!

How Do I Win?

Entering to win toys for your kids or toys for your taste buds is easy:

• Leave a comment on this post by midnight PST on Tuesday, June 23. In the comment, include:
• Which prize you would like - either Crazy for Cupcakes (you'll get Batch 1 and Batch 2) or Amano Chocolate (you'll get one of each of the three bars shown above). You can only pick one prize.
  
• Your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
• If you would like to to enter to win both prizes or enter twice for a prize you really want:
• Tweet about this contest with a link to this post.
• Leave a second comment on this post. In the comment, include:
• Your Twitter ID
• What prize you're entering for with your tweet

Good luck!!

Baby Food Cupcakes

Baby food cupcakes had some people grossed out, but I'm not sure why. Baby food cupcakes are just cupcakes made with baby food (which is simply mashed up fruits and/or vegetables). I'm sure I'll be making a bunch of these once our baby arrives. However, the baby food cupcakes in this post were not made by me.

For our baby shower, our friends asked that anyone who was up for the challenge make and bring baby food cupcakes. It was a fun change to eat some cupcakes that I didn't make. I don't have all of the recipes, but maybe some of the cupcake bakers will post the recipes in the comments. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until I start making and using baby food to see some recipes posted on this blog (I'm due in August and I hear that babies don't eat food at birth, so it will be a while).

Here are the baby food cupcakes*:

Carrot cupcakes with custard and cream cheese frosting

Baby sized banana and strawberry cupcakes

Banana, peach, raspberry cupcakes

Carrot, applesauce, and apricot cupcakes with whipped cream frosting

*J. Pollack Photography (the dad-to-be) was not working the event with his professional gear. He wants it pointed out that these photos were taken on our little point and shoot.

Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup Prize Winners!

I just want to begin by again thanking everyone for participating in the 2009 Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup - our 35 bakers, 650 voters, and 8 prize donors! We are so excited with all of the participation!

If you won a prize, please email stef at cupcakeproject dot com with your mailing address and phone number within the next week.

Without further ado, I present to you the winners:

Reader's Choice Award

This prize goes to the cupcake that received the most reader votes. It was a close competition, but the winner was Carrot Cake Ice Cream Cupcakes from Little Big Cakes.

People had some great things to say about these cupcakes; here are some highlights:

• I really like carrot cake and this one looks perfect!
• After a lot of scrolling and wiping the drool from my mouth, I was finally able to narrow it down to this one and the Vegan Piña Colada Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cookies and Candids. There were a lot that I loved that were yummy looking as desserts. But part of the appeal of cupcakes, for me anyway, is the instant satisfaction. No cutting, no dishes, no utensils, just peel and eat. The carrot cake seems like it would have a lot of flavor yet is still simple to eat.
• Carrot cake with pecan ice cream sounds awesome! Simple, but great.
• Are you kidding? Do you really have to ask? Just bite into a cake from Little Big Cakes! I can just look at the picture & smell it... makes my mouth water.
• Great flavor combo and the picture was really appealing.
• It's simple, and classic, but with a twist. I love that it's not over thought, and the finished product still looks clean and delicious!
• It is the one I would most like to make, some others were so beyond my cooking abilities.
• I love carrot cake and this cupcake has all the best elements of carrot cake in a neat little cupcake!
• Because the cake may be 'little' but the taste is 'big'! Mmm scrumdiddlyumptious!
• I loved how neat and perfect looking it looks (like a fancy Reese's) - plus Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese icing is one of my favorites.
• Can't go past carrot cake!! I am sitting here eating my low fat yogurt but dreaming it tastes like carrot cake ice cream cupcakes!!!
• It's a simple, traditional flavor. And not too flashy or over the top. Less is more! I would love to buy dozens of these!!!

Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Editor's Choice - Cupcake Project

This prize was up to me and it was incredibly hard to choose. How do you pick between 35 cupcakes that all sound amazing? In the end, I chose Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes. I almost didn't pick it because it was so complicated that it barely resembled a cupcake. However, with so many different components (almost all homemade) that I would love to taste independently or combined and the sheer amount of effort and creativity that went into these beauties, my choice became clear. I imagined how wide my eyes would get if I were ever served a cupcake of this magnitude and culinary depth. I would feel so special to have the opportunity to try it.

Prize: Cupcake tote bag from Avocado Creations.

Editor's Choice - Scoopalicious

This prize was chosen by Bethany and Tina of Scoopalicious. They selected Chocolate Raspberry Baby Cupcakes from Inspired Creations. To find out why, you'll have to head over to their blog!

Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Entry Prizes

All of the remaining prizes were chosen using a random number generator (Random.org). We tried whenever possible to give out one of the top three choices selected by the participants. However, in the cases where those prizes were already assigned, participants were given whatever prizes remained. Several lucky participants were randomly selected more than once (you'll see who you are)!

Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Cupcakes from Yumsilicious Bakes
Prize: Bag of cacao nibs from Patric Chocolate.

Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cupcake Muffin
Prize: Prize pack from Just Jenn Designs and pack of eight cupcake birthday cards by Bethany of Scoopalicious.

Lovelight Lemon Raspberry Sorbet Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Prize: 4x5 illustration from Cakespy and cupcake pendant from Krissi's Mixed Media Arts.

Frozen Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes from Krista Joy
Prize: 12 pack of gourmet cupcake wrappers from Bella Cupcake Couture.

Choconaners from Cherryspoon
Prize: Bag of cacao nibs from Patric Chocolate.

Rocky Roca Ice Cream Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Couch Peanut Cupcakes from Res-o-puh-leese
Prize: Bread mix from JB Dough.

Voter's Prize

This winner was randomly selected from those of you who voted in the roundup. The winner was Tiffany Kanis.

Prize: Pack of eight cupcake birthday cards by Bethany of Scoopalicious.

Congrats to all the winners! Keep on bakin'!

Black Forest Cupcakes

Black forest cupcakes are just like black forest cake, but in cupcake form. Black forest cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes soaked in cherry liqueur, with a cherry filling, a whipped cream topping, and cherries and chocolate on top.

According to What's Cooking America, black forest cake was named in the late 16th century after the Black Forest Region in Germany (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. In German, black forest cake is called Schwarzwälderkirschtorte.

These black forest cupcakes were light, fluffy, and incredibly moist. Because of the cherry filling and liqueur, they were almost too moist to eat without a fork. This didn't seem to bother anyone!

Black Forest Cupcakes Recipe

I got the recipe for the cake portion of the black forest cupcakes from AllRecipes. The cake itself is simply a chocolate cake. All of the cherry flavor comes from soaking the cake in liqueur and the cherry filling. This happens to be a delicious chocolate cake recipe, but feel free to use your favorite chocolate cake recipe instead. The recipe is reprinted below with my notes and cupcake adaptation.

Makes around 16 cupcakes

• 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 1/2 C white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t coffee extract (This is optional. I just threw it in to add a little depth of flavor. Coffee extract is a handy thing to have around. You can buy it on Amazon.)
  
• 1 1/2 C buttermilk

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
   
3. Beat in eggs and extracts.
   
4. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 F for twenty minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.
   

Cherry Filling Recipe and How to Fill The Cupcake

Many black forest cake recipes call for using a store-bought cherry pie filling. If you can get your hands on some fresh cherries, there is no excuse to not make the filling yourself. Making your own filling is easy. It's just three ingredients. The recipe below makes more filling that you will need. You can reduce the recipe or use the leftovers to top ice cream or to mix in with yogurt.

• 1 lb cherries, washed, pitted, and destemmed
• 1/4 C water
• 3/4 C sugar

1. Throw all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.

To fill the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a hole out of the top of each cupcake and place two cherries and a few teaspoons of the juice into each hole. Then, replace the tops.

Soaking the Cupcakes

Your cupcake will be pretty moist after filling it with the cherries and juice. However, for even more oomph, you can pour some liqueur (maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser) over the cupcakes. Poke some holes in the cupcake to help it go down if you need to, but the cupcakes are airy enough that you probably won't have to.

Whipped Cream Recipe


The frosting on black forest cupcakes is not very sweet. It's basically a simple whipped cream with a touch of flavor.

• 2 C heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 3 T maraschino liqueur or Kirschwasser

1. Whip the whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in the vanilla extract and liqueur.
   

The Cherry on Top

I highly recommend topping these black forest cupcakes with homemade maraschino cherries! I also used chocolate sprinkles, but you could use chocolate shavings.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to my twitter pal garrick_s for giving me the idea to make black forest cupcakes.

Homemade Maraschino Cherries - Don't Put Any Old Cherry On Top

"Would you like a homemade maraschino cherry?" asked the top-tier bartender at our local St. Louis restaurant, Monarch. My eyes lit up. Much like homemade grenadine, I had never considered the possibility of a homemade maraschino cherry. Bartender Ted Kilgore explained that homemade maraschino cherries are made with maraschino liqueur. After trying one, I knew they would one day be making an appearance in my kitchen.

Maraschino cherries are the iconic topping for cupcakes - a maraschino cherry even tops the Cupcake Project logo. Yet, I have never topped a cupcake with a cherry. Why not? I've always found maraschino cherries served in cherry Cokes, specialty cocktails, and yes, sitting on cupcakes to be pretty, but gross:

1. They taste like cherry medicine - the flavor reminds me of the cherry Sucrets that I had as a kid to soothe my sore throat.
2. A look at the ingredient list shows that most brands are simply cherries with high fructose corn syrup and red food coloring. EW!

Homemade maraschino cherries are super easy to make (once you get past pitting all the cherries). Compared to store-bought maraschino cherries, these are less red, more mushy, and much more boozy. They might not be for the kids, but adults will love them!


Homemade Maraschino Cherry Recipe

I found the recipe for homemade maraschino cherries on Serious Eats, which was adapted from a recipe found in Imbibe Magazine. I am reprinting it below, with my notes.

• 1 pound sweet cherries, pitted (If you want to be really technical about it, it would be good if you could use Marasca cherries. Since most of us don't have access to them, any cherry will do - the redder the better. If you don't own a cherry pitter, you will definitely want to invest in one.)
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C water
• 2 t lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 C of maraschino liquor (I used Luxardo brand. On Serious Eats, they just used a regular brandy and were not as happy with the results. eGullet has an interesting discussion thread on types of cherry liqueur that is worth a read.)

1. Wash and pit the cherries.
2. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the cherries and liqueur and bring to a rolling boil.
   
3. When the liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium.
4. Add the cherries and simmer for 5–7 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, add the liqueur, and let cool.
6. Transfer the cherries and liquid into clean jars and refrigerate, uncovered, until cherries are cool to touch.
   
7. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

The Cherry Stem


I can't write a post about maraschino cherries without thinking about my ex-boyfriend. He may have been the only person I know who ordered cherry coke on a regular basis. Not only that, but he was one of those people who possessed the unique skill of being able to tie the cherry stem into several knots using his tongue. I have absolutely no clue how that can be done. It was pretty much like magic to me. Some say that that skill makes one better in bed, but that is not a subject for this post.

Ice Cream

For those who came here looking for the results of the ice cream cupcake roundup, I will be posting the winners on Friday. Stay tuned!

Time to Vote for Your Favorite Ice Cream Cupcake

If this post doesn't make you crave an ice cream cupcake, I don't know what will. Bethany, Tina, and I are so excited about all the amazing entries we've received for this year's ice cream cupcake roundup! Remember that each person who entered is eligible to win a prize, and you get to vote for a winner!

In case you need an incentive to vote - Each person who votes will be entered into a raffle to win an 8-pack of homemade cupcake birthday cards directly from Bethany of Scoopalicious!

So...

• Pick a time this week when you have a few minutes - this is going to take a while.
  
• Read through the summary of each cupcake below.
  
• Visit the blogs of the ones you like (I expect that will be all of them).
• Somehow, pick your favorite cupcake (I have no idea how you will be able to choose).
  
• Fill out the form at the very bottom of this post to vote.
  

VOTING CLOSES SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 11:59 PM PACIFIC TIME
ONLY ONE VOTE PER PERSON
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK

Thanks again to all of our fabulous prize sponsors: Bella Cupcake Couture, Just Jenn Designs, Avocado Creations, JB Dough, Patric Chocolate, Buzz Buzz Bee's, Cakespy, and Krissi's Mixed Media Arts. The prize details can be found along with the contest details.

The Entries!!

Monkey Butt Cupcake from Nonesuch
Cupcake: Banana cupcake made healthier using wheat flour, egg substitute, and Splenda
Ice Cream: Chocolate
Frosting: Peanut butter
Topping: Toffee bits

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The Perfect Summer Cupcake from A Scone's Throw
Cupcake: Strawberry
Ice Cream: Homemade strawberry and basil ice creams swirled together
Frosting: White balsamic buttercream
Topping: Fresh strawberry

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Carrot Cake Ice Cream Cupcakes from Little Big Cakes
Cupcake: Carrot cake
Ice Cream: Pecan
Frosting: Cream cheese

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Frozen Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes from Krista Joy
Cupcake: Chocolate fudge
Ice Cream: Vanilla and chocolate ice cream swirled together, with mixed in chopped chocolate and homemade raspberry truffles
Frosting: Chocolate cream cheese
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Magic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Couldn't be Parve
Cupcake: Graham cracker
Ice Cream: Magic bar (Magic bars are also know as six layer bars. They are gooey bars with various kinds of chips, nuts and coconut, topped with sweetened condensed milk.)

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Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cupcake Muffin
Cupcake: Angel food
Ice Cream: Homemade strawberry balsamic

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Chocolate Raspberry Baby Cupcakes from Inspired Creations
Cupcake: Dark chocolate
Ice Cream: White chocolate raspberry swirl or black raspberry chip
Frosting: Dark chocolate ganache
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Cup O' Tea Vegan/Wheat-Free Ice Cream Cupcakes by Tara Tabassi
(Note: Tara does not have a blog, so the link goes to a page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Earl grey topped with white chocolate
Ice Cream: Homemade fresh coconut, lemon-rind, and blueberry
Frosting: Lavender buttercream
Topping: Homemade crystallized lavender blossom

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Vegan Piña Colada Ice Cream Cupcakes from Cookies and Candids
Cupcake: Pineapple upside down
Ice Cream: Toasted coconut
Topping: Rum caramel sauce, pineapple slice, and a cherry

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Black Magick Cupcake from Cirque du Vie
Cupcake: Brownie topped with raspberry jam
Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream topped with crushed Oreos, Magic Brownie ice cream, and chocolate ice cream
Topping: Brownie, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries

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Wet Dog Cupcakes with Pineapple Sherbet from Iron Stef
Cupcake: Tres leches
Ice Cream: Pineapple sherbet
Topping: Dulce de leche

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Hot Fudge Cake from Is This Thing On
Cupcake: Double chocolate
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Topping: Chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles

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Chipster Topped Brownie Ice Cream Cupcake from Spork or Foon?
Cupcake: Chipster topped brownie (basically a brownie with a cookie on top)
Ice Cream: Vanilla frozen yogurt
Topping: Sprinkles

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Cake Batter Ice Cream Cupcakes from Tickled Pink Cupcakery
Cupcake: Vanilla cake
Ice Cream: Vanilla ice cream with cake mix-ins
Topping: Sprinkles

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Couch Peanut Cupcakes from Res-o-puh-leese
Cupcake: Peanut butter in a crushed Oreo cookie crust
Ice Cream: Vanilla rolled in Oreos
Frosting: Peanut butter
Topping: Reese's pieces

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Dairy Free Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla Cupcakes from Beantown Baker
(Note: Beantown Baker also made a version of these cupcakes with dairy as a variation.)
Cupcake: Vegan chocolate
Ice Cream: Toffuti vanilla with a frozen strawberry inside
Frosting: Strawberry cream cheese

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Hot Cocoa Ice Cream Cupcakes by Rachel Schill
(Note: Rachel does not have a blog, so the link goes to the page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Homemade chocolate
Frosting: Marshmallow buttercream
Topping: Chocolate shavings

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Coconut Margarita Cupcakes from Beantown Baker
(Note: Beantown Baker also made a version of these cupcakes with raspberry ice cream as a variation.)
Cupcake: Coconut and lime
Ice Cream: Margarita sorbet
Frosting: Coconut cream cheese

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Fragola Tiramisu olio d'oliva Gelato Tortatina (Strawberry Tiramisu Olive Oil Gelato Cupcake) from Little Ivy Cakes
Cupcake: Brown sugar cupcake soaked in Grand Marnier topped with orange-honey mascarpone and fresh summer strawberries splashed with Grand Marnier
Ice Cream: Homemade olive oil gelato
Frosting: Strawberry vanilla bean whipped cream
Topping: Shaved chocolate, orange, and a strawberry

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Mexican Chocolate Cupcake with Fried Ice Cream from Yummy, Yummy, in My Tummy
Cupcake: Mexican chocolate
Ice Cream: Fried ice cream (honey cinnamon flavored ice cream with cinnamon sugar toasted pieces and a honey caramel ribbon)
Frosting: Whipped cream
Topping: Cinnamon sugar triangles

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Lovelight Lemon Raspberry Sorbet Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Cupcake: Lemon raspberry
Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs lemon sorbet
Topping: Fresh raspberry

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Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cupcakes from Nina's Cupcakes
Cupcake: Peppermint
Ice Cream: EXTREME! Moose Tracks
Frosting: Espresso whipped cream

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Candy Bar Ice Cream Cupcakes from Mostly Martha
Cupcake: Brownie toffee
Ice Cream: Homemade sweet milk ice cream
Topping: Snickers bar and caramel drizzle

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Fried Ice Cream Cupcakes from Simple Food
Cupcake: Brown sugar with cornflake topping
Ice Cream: Caramel swirl
Frosting: Cinnamon whipped cream
Topping: Cinnamon tortilla crisps

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Dippy Doo Dots Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes from I Heart Cuppycakes
Cupcake: Chocolate baked in ice cream cones
Ice Cream: Banana split Dippin' Dots
Frosting: Vanilla buttercream

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Choconaners from Cherryspoon
Cupcake: Banana topped with semisweet chocolate
Ice Cream: Friendly's fudge swirl
Topping: Banana slice decorated with chocolate

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Chocolate Caramel Ice Cream Cupcakes from Yumsilicious Bakes
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Baskin Robbins' gold medal ribbon
Frosting: Chocolate caramel ganache
Topping: Dulce de leche caramel topping

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Cherry with a Twist from Lost Star of David
Cupcake: Rich chocolate with gelatin
Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia
Topping: Chocolate ganache and cherry sauce

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Coconut Cream Identity Crisis from Crumbles
Cupcake: Coconut topped with crumbled graham crackers
Ice Cream: Homemade coconut ice cream
Frosting: Whipped cream

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Butter Rum Cakes with Ginger and Hibiscus from My Own Sweet Thyme
Cupcake: Ginger rum
Ice Cream: Coconut rum gelato
Topping: Butter rum sauce, dried sweetened hibiscus flowers, and candied ginger

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Strawberry Short Cupcakes by Morgan Cadle
(Note: Morgan does not have a blog. This entry is not linked because we have no further information on this cupcake.)
Cupcake: Strawberry
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Frosting: Strawberries and cream
Topping: Flower made out of chocolate chips for the center and fresh cut strawberries for the petals

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Chocolate Lover's Dream by Morgan Cadle
(Note: Morgan does not have a blog. This entry is not linked because we have no further information on this cupcake.)
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Vanilla
Frosting: Chocolate
Topping: Mini-chocolate chips

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Memorial Day BBQ Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes by Ann Carroll
(Note: Ann does not have a blog, so the link goes to the page we created for her with her description and recipe.)
Cupcake: Vanilla regular-sized and chocolate minis, plus hidden M&Ms at the bottom of the cone.
Ice Cream: N/A (There is no ice cream in these. They are simply made to look like they have ice cream.)
Frosting: Half were done with vanilla and half were done with chocolate
Topping: Sprinkles

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Rocky Roca Ice Cream Cupcakes from Sweet & Saucy
Cupcake: Chocolate
Ice Cream: Tillamook rocky road
Frosting: Chocolate ganache
Topping: Almond roca (a chocolate and almond covered buttercrunch confection)

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Cupcakes from Wemsical Cupcakes
Cupcake: Chocolate chip cookie pie crust with chocolate fudge cupcake
Ice Cream: Peanut butter ice cream
Topping: Chocolate ganache and a chocolate chip cookie

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As if these weren't enough... One of our awesome prize sponsors who is ineligible for a prize decided to make an ice cream cupcake just for fun! While you can't vote for it, you should check it out anyway!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes by JustJENN Rants & Raves
Cupcake: Root beer bunt
Ice Cream: Root beer sherbet
Frosting: Whipped cream
Topping: Sprinkles and a straw

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Time to Vote: